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User blog:Mjmannella/Tips on Article Creation for Mods
Here's some tips to help create effective articles for the wiki. To give some visualizations, I'll mostly be using my African forest elephant mod. General * I recommend creating and editing articles using the source editor. I may do a future guide on a few source editor commands, but most of them can be found on the top of the article editor. * Please use an existing article as a template for a new article, it goes a long way to making article look nice. Title The Title should contain the name of the mod, with the name of any and all creators in brackets/parentheses ("( )"). * If a mod has two authors, separate them with an "&". * If a mod has three or more authors, separate them with a commas and an "&" for the last two authors. * Mods with multiple authors should have the author names ordered alphabetically. Heading The heading should just be the first part of the mod. If the mod is for an animal, include its italicized scientific/Latin using a pair of hard/square brackets (" "). Gallery The gallery is the hardest part of making a new article. To make pictures for the gallery, you'll need to open the mod's .nif or .bfb files in Nifskope (.nif) or Blender (both), add the mod's textures, and save as a screenshot. * The screenshot may not have transparency, so it'll have to be edited outside of the model/opening program. * The image should be square and have the render touching either the horizontal or vertical borders. Which borders the render touches depends on its own dimensions (ex. a giraffe render will usually be taller than a crocodilian render, and vice-versa for length). * If there are multiple renders (ex. for variants, sexes, growth stages), a gallery is made instead of a thumbnail Creator The creator is reiterating the creators listed in the title. One key difference is that the creators are linked to an article using a pair of hard/square brackets. UXP The UXP (user expansion pack) lists what expansion or mini pack the mod is part of, with a link to that pack using a pair of hard/square brackets. * Not every mod is part of a pack, so ones the aren't simply has "None" in place. Release Date The release date shows the date the mod was published. It follows a pattern of month (shorthand), day, and year (linked to with a pair of hard/square brackets). * If a mod's date is not mentioned, it will have "Unknown" in place. * If a mod is unreleased, it will have "Unreleased" in place Credits The credits link to other users that the original creator has used assets from using a pair of hard/square brackets. * If a mod has no credits mentioned, it will have "Unknown" in place. Public Domain Public domain shows if a mod is available for public use. Public domain mods are available for anyone to use without request, while mods that aren't public domain require users to ask the creator for use. * If a mod is not known to be public domain of not, it will have "Unspecified" in place. * Some mods only have certain parts available in the public domain (ex. model, skin). * Some mods are only public domain in certain circumstances (ex. a mod can't be used for private purposes). Required Exps Required exps (expansions) show what official expansion packs are needed for the mod to work properly (ex. animations, sounds) that are linked using a pair of pointed brackets (" "). * If there are no expansions required, there will be "None" in place. Required Downloads Required downloads mods are needed for the mod to work properly (ex. animations, sounds, filtertexts) that are linked using hard/square brackets. * Recomended mods can also be listed here, but must be distinctly labelled as such. * If there are no mods required, there will be "None" in place. Where to Find This provides links where users can find and download mods ;inked to with hard/square brackets) and spacing for the name of the website that's hosting the mod. * A mod that is unreleased will have "Unreleased" in place * A mod that is unavailable will have "Unavailable" in place Additions Additions are extras to a mod that are usually made by another user (ex. remakes, biome hacks, reskins). This may require a separate guide to fully explain. Categories Categories link articles to groups of related articles, which may include the following: * Unavailable/Unreleased downloads (using a pair of pointed brackets) * Biologically related species (with some exceptions), designation for extinct animals ** Fictional animals will instead have their type of fictional listed * Any and all creators of the mod * Any pack the mod is part of * Geographic locations of origin, designation for extinct animals (not added for fictional animals) * The biome of origin, designation for extinct animals (not added for fictional animals) ** If a mod has any biome hacks that are listed, they are listed after the mod's original biome * Conservation status (not added for fictional animals) ** Extinct animals instead have time periods the animal is from * Release year * Public domain (if it applies) Other This is some quality of life stuff for a high-quality effective article * NOTOC - No table of contents (a pair of underscores between NOTOC) * Sorting - Animals are generally sorted like they are in the base game ='Reminder'= If you have any questions, please ask me or another admin before making an article. 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